Fire extinguisher



Oct. 22, 1940. P. P. EAGLE FIRE EXTINGUISHER FiledI June 14, 1939 Patented Oct. 22, 194() UNITED STATES nnanxrmamsnna Percy P. Eagle, Ronceverte, W. Va'

Application June 14. 1939, Serial No. 279,109,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to flre extinguishing apparatus, certain features whereof render the device particularly suitable for use in motor vehicles, aircraft, etc., the apparatus, however, being useful for extinguishing small fires wherever they may occur.

The apparatus is of the type wherein a body of compressed air is provided for ejecting a fire-extinguishing liquid such as carbon tetrachloride, and has for one of its objects the provision of means whereby the discharge pipe or conduit for the liquid will automatically swing toward the lowest point in the liquid chamber upon turning movements of the chamber, and the pipe will be `in position to receive the liquid from the vlow point in the chamber.

Another object of my invention is to provide means whereby the body of compressed air, which serves as the motive power for ejecting the liquid, will be kept sealed o from the liquid chamber when the apparatus is not actually being employed in the extinguishing of a re, and wherein the air pressure will automatically be applied to the liquid upon opening of a discharge line from the liquid chamber. l

One form which my invention may take is shown in the accompanying drawing wherein Figure 1 is a broken sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the tank portion ofthe apparatus and the parts immediately associated therewith, andFig. 2 is a view showing the extinguishing apparatus in completely assembled condition.

The apparatus comprises a metal tank 3 having end walls 4 and 5 welded or otherwise suitably secured to the body portion thereof. Partition plate 6 divides the tank 3 into an air chamber l and a liquid chamber 8. The liquid chamber will be lled with a fire-extinguishing liquid such as carbon tetrachloride, and the chamber 1 will be filled with air under pressure sufllcient to effect the proper discharge of the extinguishing liquid. The liquid chamber may conveniently be of 50% greater cubical dimension than the air chamber.- i

sion spring 9b. The end walli is dished inwardly so that the plug Il andthe valve I2 will notprof ject beyond the endmost plane of the tank. Communication is effected between thechambers 'I and 8 past a valve Il that cooperates with a valve seating member I6 which extends through 5 the partition 6. The valve has a stem Il that is guided byv a spider or cross bar Il which forms part of the member `I 6. The valve member I3 has an extension i9 open at its sides and supporting a washer or collar 20 to one end of which is 10 anchored a. torsional spring 2|, the other end of the spring being connected to the rear endof the valve stem Il. The spring will thus yieldably hold the valve I against its seat, and will thereby. prevent interminglihg of the air and the liquid such as would occur through churning lirioven'leliby of the tank, particularly if the apparatus is mounted on aircraft or a motor vehicle. I

This constitutes an important feature of my invention in that if the partition 6 were omitted 20 anld the tank 3 simply filled partly withliquid and f partly with compressed air, the intermingling of the air and the liquid would be undesirablefor a number of reasons. In the flrst place, theliquid would not be so effectively discharged and the intermingled air globules would burst at the discharge nozzle, scattering the liquid too greatly and permitting access of atmospheric air to thearea being sprayed, and furthermore, the oxygen in the bursting globules of air would be undesirable in the zone of re.

A discharge pipe 23'of angular form is pivot- A ally supported in the end wall 4 of the tank. 1 This pipe is supported by a coupling member 24 that has threaded engagement with an extension 35 sleeve 22 which is welded to the e'nd wall l, The

pipe 23 is held inthe coupling by a screw threaded clamping collar Vor nut 25 that has.` threaded engagement with the pipe 23 vand is..

`provided with projecting studs for engagement v with a wrench by means of which the coupling` is rotated on the pipe. The nut 25 seats against packing members consisting of washers'r 26 vand 2l of bronze or other metal and a'feltgwasher 2l. The pipe 23 is provided. with a stop collar' 23, 45 that cooperates'with metal washers 30 yandv 3| and a felt washer 32 which, when the nut 251s screwed up tightly, will cooperate with the other I group of washers to prevent leakage. The inner end of the pipe 23 is enlarged or weighted, so '50 that notwithstanding the presence of theA sealing washers, it -will swing to the low point in the tank during any sidewise tilting of the tank.

I contemplate lmaking the pipe 23 of what is frequently designated. in the industry as flexible metal hose, or where the character of the liquid employed will permit, I may make it of rubber or heavy fibrous material. By having thepipe flexible, its inner leg will swing to approximately axial alignment with the tank 3, when the tank is in verticalposition with its discharge end uppermost, and therefore, the liquid Fis can be effectively discharged even when the tank is in such upright position. When so made, however, the partition wall I will be placed a distance from the forward end wall 4 of the tank approximately equal to the length of the inner leg of the pipe 23.

I claim as my invention:

1. A tire extinguisher comprising a tank, a partition in said tank arranged to provide an air chamber and a chamber for fire-extinguishing fluid, a passageway through said partition, a check valve in said passageway, opening in a direction toward the said fluid chamber, a va1vecontrolled air inlet extending through an end wall of the -tank and into the air chamber, and a filling pipe extending through said end wall and through the partition, for filling the said fluid chamber, the fluid chamber being provided with 1 a discharge outlet.

2. A fire extinguisher comprising a tank having an inwardly-dished end wall, a partition in said tank arranged to provide an air chamber and a chamber for fire extinguishing fluid, a

passageway through said partition, a check valve the air chamber, and a filling pipe extending through said end wall and through the partition, for filling the said fluid chamber, the nuid chamber being provided with a discharge outlet.

3. A fire extinguisher comprising a tank having a chamber for compressed air and a chamber for tire-extinguishing fluid, means affording communication between said chambers upon Dredetermined reduction of pressure in the fluid chamber relative to the 'pressure in the air chamber, a discharge pipe having one leg extending through a wall of the fluid chamber and having free rotative movement therein, the other leg of the pipe being within the fluid chamber and being iiexible and of a length approximately equal to vthe radius of the fluid chamber, and the length of the chamber being' not substantially greater than the radius thereof.

4. A i'lre extinguisher comprising a chamber for receiving fire-extinguishing fluid and compressed air, and provided with an opening centrally through one wall thereof, and a discharge pipe extending through said opening and having free rotative movement therein, the inner portion of the pipe being exible and approximately equal in length to the radius of the chamber, and the dimension of the chamber axially of said opening being not substantially greater than said radius, whereby the inner end of the pipe will move to various points adjacent to the side wall and the end walls of the chamber upon changes in position of the chamber.

PERC'Y P. EAGLE. 

